The invention relates to an endoscope, the shaft of which comprises an outer tube and an inner tube inserted into said outer tube. A channel is disposed between the outer side of said inner tube and the inner side of said inner tube. An endoscope head houses a proximal end of the shaft. A light connector projects, in particular laterally, from said endoscope head. Light guides extend from said light guide connector to a distal end of said channel for guiding light from said light connector to the distal end of the endoscope for illuminating purposes.
Endoscopes of this type are generally known.
Endoscopes are generally used in so-called minimal-invasive surgeries, for example arthroscopy, gastrointestinal examinations and chest cavity examinations, in case of ruptures and during joint and spinal column surgeries.
Within the inner tube, a so-called optic is accommodated, generally a rod lens system or an electronic image recording and conversion system.
In order to illuminate the operation side with light, a light guide system is arranged within the endoscope. The light guide system which usually is composed of a bundle of light guiding fibers, in particular glass fibers, is usually housed loosely in the channel between the inner and the outer tube. Additionally, the bundle of light fibers is loosely guided to the proximal end of the light guide connector within the endoscope head.
For sealing purposes, the opposite end sections of the light guides are tightly and sealingly fixed at the distal end of the shaft on the one side and on the proximal end of the light guide connector on the other side.
In minimal-invasive surgery, very small incisions with a length of about half an inch are made in the body for inserting the endoscope into the body. For it, the shafts of the endoscopes should be designed as thin as possible.
This results in the shaft not being mechanically very robust, in particular in terms of bending of the shaft.
When the endoscope is being handled, irrespective of whether it is during an intervention or during the subsequent cleaning and autoclaving processes, forces that are applied can result in a bending of the shaft. A bending of the shaft also bends the inner tube containing the optic system, which can lead to fracture and/or some detachments, for example on the rod lenses of the optics system.
Fracture cracks at the distal and proximal sealing points of the light guides can result in moisture entering into the channel housing the light guides. This moisture can contain aggressive cleaning liquids, for example peroxide containing liquids, which leads to the destruction of the very fine glass fibers during autoclaving. Additionally, the loose fibers can break when the shaft is bent remarkably.
As a result, the lifetime of the endoscope is shortened.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an endoscope with an extended lifetime.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing an endoscope with an extended lifetime.